Basement and sidewalk construction



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. H. JACKSON. BASEMENT AND SIDEWALK OONSTRUGTION. No. 437,895 PatentedOct. 7, 1890.

FIC3 l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

H. JACKSON.

BASEMENT J SIDBWALK CONSTRUCTION.

Patented Oct. 7, 1890.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

P. H. JACKSON.

BASEMENT AND SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION. No. 437,895. Patented Oct, 7,1890.

FIG-4;...

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER I-I. JACKSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

BASEMENT AND SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,895, dated October'7, 1890. Application filed May 31, 1890. Serial N0. 353,864:- (Nomodel.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER H. J ACKSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Basement and Sidewalk Construction; andI hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to the class of basements and sidewalks forbuildings, and especially to those constructions of this class wherein abasement-entrance is present and located, as is generally the case withstores, directly under a show or display window.

My invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of thepanel, sash, grating, or other filling of the space beneath theshow-window and above the basement-entrance, the novel clamps for thesectional arches which form the roof of the basement extension or thatpart under the sidewalk, and the novel arrangement of theilluminatorcovers in connection with the basemententrance doors, all ofwhich will be hereinafter fully described, and the novel featuresspecifically pointed out in the claims. The objects of these severalimproi'ements will hereinafter appear in connection with the descriptionof each.

'Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my invention, Figure 1 is a view of a storefront, showin g twoshow-windows, the basement-entrance doors on the left being shown closedand those on the right being shown open. Fig. 2 is a detail verticalsection of the base of the showwindow, the entrance-doors andfilling-panel closed and the open position of the latter shown in dottedlines. Fig. 3 is a view of a storefront and a vertical section of thesidewalk to show the clamps for the sectional arches. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section of the basement-entrance in the plane of thearchclamps. Fig. 5 is a section of the entrancedoor, showing theseparate ring H, serving as a support for the illuminator-cover. Fig. 6is a section showing the attachment of an illuminator-cover to the door.

The store-front is A, the show-windows B, the sidewalk C, thebasement-entrance doors D, and the filling-in panel, grating, or sash isE, located under the windows, the one on the left being shown as agrating and the one on the right as a panel, Fig. 3.

My first improvement relates to the panel, grating, or sash E. It ishinged at ornear its top, as shown at e in Fig. 2, so that it may swingfrom a closed position (shown in full lines in Fig. 2) to a positionshown in dotted lines in said figure. Its lower end has a flange or stop6, which serves as a rest or support for the inner sides of theentrance-doors. When it is swung back outof the way, itprovidessufficient head-room when the entrancedoors are open to permit a personto pass upright from the street down the stairs into the basement, andin case the opening is used as a slideway from sidewalk to basement forsliding down boxes, casks, and the like, the swinging panel, sash, orgrating when swung back admits of sufficient room for the purpose.

WVhen the basement-entrance is not in use and it is desirable to have itclosed, as if there were no basement-entrance, then by dropping thepanel or sash and fastening it and closing the entrance-doors with theirinner ends resting on a flange or stop 6', formed on the bottom of thepanel, a walking-surface on top of the doors is formed on a plane withthe rest of the sidewalk, so that a person may stand directly in frontof the showwindow where goods are displayed.

Sidewalk or basement entrance-doors are usually of iron or steel in twofolds, hinged at the sides to an iron or steel frame, which extends onall four sides in box form, so as to equally support the doors on alloutside edges; but to admit passage to the basement the frame on theinside must be removed, and to meet this requirement I form, as beforedescribed, on the bottom of the swinging panel, sash, grating, orequivalent filling a projecting strip or flange e, which may extend thewidth of the sidewalk-doors and upon which they rest, or they may beseparate stops, but a continuous support, as before described, ispreferred. By this arrangement a substantial plane surface and acontinuance of the sidewalk are secured when the doors are closed.

When it is desired to have access to the basement, first the doors arelifted, and then the panel, sash, or its equivalent filling is swungback, which catches in notchesf in a quadranbpiece F, Fig. 2, secured atthe side of the panel and over which said panel freely plays. Thisprevents its swinging back. The

quadrant is secured by a pivot f at the top end only, and passes througha slot in the end of the panel. Its gravity causes it to catch in any ofthe notches, the tendency of the quadrant being to seek a perpendicular.To lower the swinging panel, raise it off the notch and lift the lowerend of the quadrant in an opposite direction to the perpendicular, andthe panel will swing down to a vertical position. To fasten it so thatit cannot be lifted from the outside to prevent entrance to basement, apin f may be inserted through the bottom of the quadrant just back ofthe panel,

or any other common fastening may be used.

My next improvement consists in setting distinct illuminatingvault-covers G, either round or square, in the iron or steelsidewalkdoors inserted from beneath, so that the top surface of theilluminating-cover is on a plane with the top surface of the door, andit is so placed and securedas not to leak. This is shown particularly inFigs. 2 and 6, and is in contradistinction to the method of setting thevault-cover on top of the door, which makes its thickness project abovethe top surface of the door, which said method is inconvenient, forminga stub-toe or impediment to travel.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 6, it will be seen that the illuminating-coverG is distinct from the door; that it is not a part of the door. Insetting the cover it is shoved up from below, so that its surface iseven with the top of the door. The flange as projects all around and isriveted to the door by a number of rivets around its circumference. Aplastic putty or cementing material as is placed in the joint y and fiatsurface between as well, so as to prevent leakage, or the cover may bemade to fit the hole and a separate ring I-I, Fig. 5, may close thevertical and horizontal seams against leakage. By making these covers Gseparate from the iron or steel door, which latter is very heavy, if thedoor is let fall in opening or closing, which occasionally occurs fromits heavy weight, the jar of the frame and plate iron is notcommunicated with that severity to loosen the glass (the tremor of theshock being broken by hanging upon the rivets for support) to what itwould he were the glasses inserted directly in apertures formed in thesteel or iron plate and resting upon it. The large surface of the underflange x on the vault-cover, as well as the cement in the vertical seam,or the equivalent ring H, with a large number of attached rivets,prevents leakage from the shock. The plastic putty, cementing material,or fusible cement w serves as a cushion to break the jar, and it will beobserved that this arrangement permits the putty or other cementingmaterial to be placed in the vertical joint, whereas in the oldconstruction where this joint is open below putty would be shaken out,and consequently it is not used. In practice I prefer to put fusiblecement in the vertical seam and plastic cement in the horizontal seam.

Another improvement herein consists in the clamps I to resist thehorizontal thrust of the sectional arches J, Figs. 3 and 4. The frame ofthe doors does not project far enough down to form an abutment to resistthe horizontal thrust of the arch, as shown in the drawings. Besidesthere .is no frame to the door on one part to resist this thrust. Toprovide for this requirementthat is, the horizontal thrust of theseparts of the arches for sidewalk door and other openings in the roof ofbase-' ment or vault andon sidewalks-I build in the iron clamps I, withthe ends turned down. One end is built in the adjacent arch or attachedto a beam, while the other end proj ects over to the edge of thebrick-work in the opening. The parts of these arches thatform theopenings are to be built up in good cem ent mortar with the brick, or,if of concrete, to be stronger than usually used for full arches, sothat they are of uniform strengththat is, if of brick and cement mortar,the cementing material to be fully as strong as the brick, so as to bemonolithic, or like a stone in one piece, as regards strength. Theseseveral improvements apply to and are adapted for retail' stores,whereby the basemententrance does not impair the value of theshow-window.

Having thus described my invention, what -I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In sidewalk and basement construction, the swinging panel, sash,grating, or filling over the basement-entrance stairs, whereby whenswung back out of the way head-room is provided, substantially as hereindescribed.

2. In combination with the swinging sidewalk or basement-entrance doors,the swinging panel, grating, sash, or other filling over the entranceand adapted when down to support the door at their inner sides and whenswung back out of the way to provide headroom, substantially as hereindescribed.

3. In combination with the swinging sidewalk or basement-entrance doors,the swinging panel, grating, sash, or other filling over said entrance,having a flange or stop on its lower edge adapted to support the doorsat their inner sides when closed, said filling when swung back out ofthe way providing head-room, substantially as herein described.

4. In combination with the swinging sidewalk or basement-entrance doors,the swinging panel, grating, sash, or other fillingover said entranceand having on its lower edge sash, or grating open at any angle,consisting and the other end turned down and secured at or near the faceof the sectional arch, substantially as herein described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

PETER H. JACKSON.

\Vitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, H. 0. LEE.

